


We're Painting It Red

by IrishHooters



Series: Office Life [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Christmas, First Kiss, Fluff, I gave Levi a last name, I hope someone appreciates the humor behind it, M/M, Office Party, One Shot, Someone spiked the punch, drinking game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-27
Updated: 2013-12-27
Packaged: 2018-01-06 08:18:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1104557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrishHooters/pseuds/IrishHooters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being the new guy in the office, Eren must organize the annual Christmas party. Levi's only rule: No red or green.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We're Painting It Red

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is kind of late but it just popped into my head and couldn't stop writing!
> 
> Happy Belated Birthday Levi!
> 
> And Merry Christmas, everyone!

_Refreshments?_

_Check._

_Blue and white tinsel?_

_Check._

_Secret Santa gifts?_

_Check..._

_Nothing red, nothing red--_

Eren's capacious eyes surveyed the decently sized office as he wiggled a pen between his index and middle digits. He nodded to himself once he deduced that there was not a spot of red in the place, feeling a sigh that was a mixture of relief and some annoyance blow past his lips. 

Being the new guy at the office, he was gifted with the _wonderful_ task of decorating and overall planning the annual Christmas party.  
The brunet snorted at the thought. 

His employer, Levi Cointreau, had the most idiosyncratic problem with the color red. It made decorating for the party and dressing for work in general an immense pain for the twenty-something. 

Levi didn't hate the color green, at least half of Christmas was alright. Eren thought so until the shorter man gave him a direct order not to use that color, as well. If the young adult hadn't known any better he would think his boss hated Christmas, altogether. 

"Everything looks perfect, good work, rookie," Petra Ral lightly praised with a sweet smile, walking into the office in a light gray sweater with skinny jeans and her nice pair of tan suede boots. She had Auruo Bossard in tow with a few more presents. How he found an ugly Christmas sweater without essential Christmas colors was beyond the brunet. 

"Perfect is a stretch. I think it still looks like shit in here," Auruo snorted, breaking off from the tinted blonde to place the presents by their fake three and a half foot tree. 

"Auruo, be civil! It's the holidays," Petra chided with a hand on her hip, the man perked and smiled at the woman with a nod. He could never really go against the beauty's wishes. Petra returned her attention to Eren, smile never faltering. "Are we the first to show up?" she asked, looking around to see not another soul in sight. 

Eren nodded, placing his pen and paper down on his desk before scratching the back of his head. "Hanji texted me saying she'd be bringing the boss in, 'Fashionably late!', she said," he shrugged a shoulder. "And I don't think Annie is coming but you know how Reiner and Bert can be when they agree on something against her..." he drawled, the trio had a very strange bond in his eyes, not that he cared too much. 

"Aw, well, I hope they persuade her, she needs to open up a little. Let loose," Petra chuckled behind her hand. "Losing a little face at a party is natural. Besides, I cannot help but be curious about what kind of drunk she is. Levi, as well," she hummed as she tapped her perfect chin with a manicured finger. 

Eren rose an eyebrow at that last mention, "Wait, you've never seen Mr. Cointreau drunk? I thought you went to school together," the brunet inquired, genuinely intrigued. 

The caramel haired woman gave him a nod, leaning against the table with the snacks and drinks as she crossed her arms. "I might of gone to school with him but he is very...reserved,"  
Petra admitted with a light sigh. Her eyes returned to Eren's, full with determination and hope, "Maybe you can get him to loosen up as well."

Auruo snorted a laugh, "Him? Maybe if he annoys the absolute shit out of him, but then he might just get punched in the face," he spoke with a scoff. Petra glared at him from the corner of her eye to promptly silence him. 

Eren gave a roll of his eyes, within the first few days of working there he learned to just ignore the man. The only people he seemed to actually respect were Petra and Levi, one made sense but the other just made the brunet wonder. 

The twenty-two year old busied himself with straightening the decorations and re-checking the refreshments while a few more employees made their way into the office-- the trio being included. 

A half an hour later, everyone had arrived excluding Hanji and their boss. A fact that left Eren quietly simmering. Even if Hanji mentioned them being late, the young adult was _not_ a patient person. If the boss wasn't going to arrive on time he should have decorated however he pleased, dammit. 

"Hey, lighten up, you look like you're about to flip the table, man," his two toned coworker walked up, Solo cup full of punch Eren was positive had become more spiked since Ymir was apart of the party. 

Eren eyed Jean with a slight twitch producing in his eyebrow. The two were the same age and had started working for the corporation around the same time, Jean had a month or two on him and never let the brunet hear the end of that fact. They used to have cubicles next to each other, now they were as far as they could be from each other without literally working out of an elevator. 

"Mind your own business, horse face," Eren grumbled, organizing the crackers for the fifth time. "Don't you have an innocent freckled guy to harass? Or did Marco finally come to his senses and tell you to fuck off?" the brunet mocked, his light tone betraying the harsh words. 

"Coming and fucking, yes," Jean smirked with a waggle of his eyebrow. Eren made a face of absolute disgust. 

"You're a pig." 

"You've got an obsession with livestock."

"And you're a delusional asshat." 

"At least I get laid."

At this point the two were forehead-to-forehead, Eren's fists clenched tight as his turquoise hues glared into Jean's butterscotch eyes. The latter looking entirely too smug for his own health. Eren was ready to remedy that but before he could do any damage, the elevator chimed the arrival of the only people missing.

"Jaeger. Kirschtein. If you're going to slap each other around like whiny twats then do so where I won't have to clean up after you shitheads," Levi spoke leveled, the authority unmistakable.  
Jean straightened like a plank, their employer close enough to grab their arms and throw them over his shoulders if he wished. "S-Sorry, Mr. Cointreau."

Eren matched Jean's stiff posture, turning towards the shorter man with a nod of understanding. He locked eyes with his boss, the intensity of the mans heavy lidded gaze causing Eren's to avert slightly to Hanji. 

"Hey, hey now, no fighting. It's Christmas Eve! We all get along and have fun today then go back to punching teeth out," Hanji grinned wide as she placed her hands on Levi's shoulders, giving them a little shake before letting go. The auburn haired woman wasn't going to push her luck too much with the irate employer, even after her motivational words. "Oh, look, punch!" she exclaimed happily before bouncing over to the table. 

Jean gave Eren one last victorious look before wandering off, leaving the brunet in the company of the most withdrawn and unsociable person on the planet. The irritation he felt earlier dissipated and was replaced with the nervous need for acknowledgement he always tended to feel when Levi assessed his work. 

The short man looked around, as if he knew what Eren thought, his eyes scanned it all from the ceiling to the floor before slowly returning his blue-gray eyes to the fidgeting kid before him. He recognized Eren's want of approval the moment it flickered in his eyes. 

Levi crossed an arm over the other, holding his elbows as he tilted his head. "You followed my instruction. You've got some sense for a kid," he grunted.

Eren rose an eyebrow, was that it? He didn't expect a good job like the one he received from Petra but he sure as hell thought he'd get more than a pseudo-compliment from the man. Said man replicated Eren's look, his coming off far more annoyed.

"Got a problem?" He asked passively enough to not sound completely curt. 

"Uh, no. Thank you, sir," Eren shook his head, biting at the inside of his cheek as he turned towards the table to fetch the man a drink. "Enjoy your time, Mr. Cointreau," he offered as he held the cup out to him. 

Disinterest masked Levi's face, taking the Solo cup before walking off, Eren let out a pent up sigh he wasn't aware he held. 

Tonight was going to be more stressful than he first anticipated.  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Sup, kid? You look pretty depressed for someone that organized a sweet party," Hanji bounded over to Eren. The brunet had taken a seat a few feet away from the table, keeping a lookout on the spread, not to mention making sure Ymir wouldn't add anything more to the punch with an alcohol content to begin with. 

He looked down at his cup, both hands wrapped around it as he thought. "I don't know, I guess I was expecting a bit more appreciation from that guy. Do you know how hard it is to decorate a Christmas party without the two primary Christmas colors? It's goddamn exhausting," he vented shortly, his grip on his cup tightening a fraction. 

"Don't let it go to your head, Levi's always like that. He doesn't exactly excel in compliments," Hanji explained with a grin, already on her third or fourth cup. "He's been sipping at that drink you gave him, that's a good sign."

The curious gaze on Eren's face was hard to miss, he turned towards Hanji with interest. "Have you seen him drunk, Hanji? Petra said she hasn't," he asked, trying not to sound as nonchalant as possible. Hanji let out a cackle, taking the seat beside him and scooting a bit closer before answering him.

"Yup. And let me tell you, he is a total _lightweight,_ " Hanji snickered in a hushed tone. Levi's ears were incredibly sharp. 

Eren's eyes took a more golden hue, the information raising his interest even further. He wasn't sure why, but seeing his employer drunk was just a thing that needed to fucking happen. "How many cups would send him over the edge?" he asked, matching her volume. He didn't even notice how hunched over they were in their chairs now. 

"Hm, maybe two or three after the one he's got," Hanji nodded in approval. Her desire to see the man out of sorts was simply too good to miss. "If you hand him more I know how to get him to drink 'em," she told him with a grin. 

Apparently, her method had been used and proven a few times before. 

The brunet nodded, shaking the woman's hand to seal their temporary partnership. Hanji gave him a thumbs up and wink before moving to stand--

"What are you shitheads whispering about?" Levi asked, standing behind them with his cup hanging from his hand; fingers hooking the rim of it as he crossed his arms. 

Hanji stood from her seat, smiling at her friend before pointing a finger at him. "I want to challenge you! Lets make this party a little more fun!" She exclaimed loud enough for everyone to turn their heads. 

Levi narrowed his eyes at the finger by his nose before flicking back to her face. "Challenge? What did you have in mind?" he asked, tacking an air of boredom in his tone. 

A grin came and went on Hanji's face before responding, "Lets play Chug Race."

A collective 'ooo' went around the room, all eyes on Levi expectedly as he thought it over. Eren's eyes moved from Hanji to Levi and back again. That was her plan? A stupid drinking game? There was no way that'd--

"You're on, shitlicker."

Sonuvabitch.  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Apparently, their boss had another strange problem with challenges, or so Hanji explained. He could never back down from one that involved competition. 

So, there they all were, face to face with the refreshment table between the two teams, it being cleared for their game. Each of them had two cups full of punch in front of their person, Team A consisted of Eren, Hanji, Marco, Ymir and Reiner whereas Team B was made up of Levi, Auruo, Jean, Christa and Annie. Bertholt and Petra opting to be the overseers instead of actually drinking. 

"Alright, we're gonna start with Eren and Levi. They'll drink their first cup and only when it's finished will I and Auruo start. From there it'll be Marco and Jean, Ymir and Christa then Reiner and Annie. After they finish we'll just go reverse from there so you two will have to drink both back to back," Hanji explained, pointing towards the two blonds at the end, both nodding as Reiner grinned and Annie kept up her usual uncaring expression. 

"So, it'll be up to Eren and Levi to become the winner," Petra added, her own excitement showing with her sweet smile. 

Bertholt looked from one team to the other at the end of the table, raising his hand over his head. "Ready, set-" he swung his arm down, "Go!"

Eren felt Levi's eyes on him the entire time, the two grabbing their first drinks and tilting them back down into their mouths, Adam's apples working as they swallowed and swallowed, resisting the urge to stop or choke. Eren silently thanked the fact it was spiked punch instead of beer, went down without the horrid carbonation. They slammed the Solo cups down on the table, cueing Hanji and Auruo to begin. 

Turquoise orbs watched the line go down, he was surprised Marco was holding his own so well, he just seemed so tentative. Christa tried her best, needing to stop for only a second to collect her bearings and finishing the last half. Ymir obviously did the same out of love for the petite blonde. 

When it came to Annie and Reiner, Eren felt a very intense gaze on the side of his face, his ability to ignore it nonexistent and he turned his head. Levi was starting right at him, the feeling he has since they started finally hitting the brunet. Why was he glaring? Did Eren do something offensive without realizing it? The man always looked uninterested or pissed, hell if he knew what was wrong. 

"Eren! C'mon, ass in gear!" Ymir barked as she shook her second empty cup, snapping the brunet from his daze. He grabbed his cup and noticed Levi already had his to his lips, quickly bringing the rim to his and chugged like his life depended on it. 

The shorter man slammed his cup down on the table a second before Eren did, Petra calling it since she was closer to the two. She rose her arm in favor of Levi, the team whooping and exchanging hi-fives with Annie as the exception. 

"Loser has to take a shot!" Ymir exclaimed, the empty cup in her hand was exchanged with a bottle of vodka, magically. 

"We're all the losers, Ymir."

"He lost it for us cos he was daydreaming, he's getting punishment!" 

The tanned woman walked over to Eren, shoving another cup in his hands with a shot amount of liquor in it. "C'mon, rookie, don't be a bitch," she taunted, earning a glare from Eren before he took the shot. He was twenty-two for god sake, drinking was a religious practice.

Eren stuck his tongue out in slight disgust, vodka was not his preferred liquor of choice but he finished it nonetheless. 

"Nice job, Jaeger. It was close," Levi said, voice low so it only caught Eren's attention. 

The brunet returned his gaze to the man, his words making them widen in surprise. He was complimented, that was fast. "T-Thanks, but, you still won," he cleared his throat. Great, now that he gained the praise he felt incredibly awkward. 

Levi moved from the table, his destination unknown as he slightly staggered on his way. "Mr. Cointreau, maybe you should sit..." Eren trailed off, moving around the table to steady the older man with a hand on his back and the other curling loosely around his upper arm. The muscle there shocked him more than it should have. 

What he wouldn't give to see it in the flesh...

Eren shook the thought from his head, or at least tried to. He just needed to guide the man where he wanted to go and get the hell away from him before the liquor in his system made him do something regrettable. 

The older man stopped in his tracks, catching Eren by some surprise but stopped beside him. "Mr. Cointreau?" he questioned, looking at his face before following his gaze upwards and freezing in almost every way possible. 

Mistletoe.

Mistletoe was _red_ and _green._

_Shit._

Eren never felt so fearful in his life. He moved to take a step back, hoping his boss wasn't going to murder him in front of the whole office. Levi's eyes lazily slid over to the brunet, head still tilted towards the offensive parasitic plant. 

"Mistletoe, huh?" he drawled, his intentions about as clear as heavy fog. 

Gulp. "I...I don't know where that came from," Eren responded, nearly flinching when Levi turned towards him. 

"I lied. You've got no fucking sense whatsoever," Levi deadpanned, though his actions did not match his words, his arms reaching up to wrap around Eren's neck, pulling him down so their levels matched. 

_Fuck, shit, he's going to choke me to death at work. I'm so dead._

To his utter surprise, Levi didn't choke him. Unless there was a technique Eren was unaware of that involved lips locking with his. 

Eren's hands flew to his employers waist, thinking maybe Levi just stumbled forwards but after a good second the brunet discovered that was not the case in the least. 

He was doubly sure when he felt said employers tongue peek from between his lips to tease his open. He complied without a second thought, tilting his head to the side to allow the shorter man more access. If he hadn't been dizzy before, he certainly was now. 

Levi licked what he was able, tasting the vodka on Eren's tongue before brushing the tip of his across the roof of the younger mans mouth, slowly retreating back into his own mouth before pulling back and releasing his grip. 

Eren looked down in a haze as he quietly caught his breath, "What, what was that for?" he asked, slowly moving his hands from his waist. 

"It's mistletoe, dumbass. You're supposed to kiss under it," Levi grunted, turning away from the others that were gawking like nothing out of the ordinary just occurred. Eren watched as the man walked away, apparently needing to use the restroom, Eren later found out. 

The brunet ignored his coworkers as he looked back at the mistletoe and the retreating man. 

_So much for hating red._


End file.
